lilag02

I second the Success series. I've got Fundamentals and Med-Surg Success and love both. What I like most is that they have rationales listed for the right and wrong answers, and I highly recommend reading them all. Even if you get the question right there may be some tidbit of info in the rationale that may come up later or pertain to another topic. Saunders is pretty great too, especially if you like info presented in outline format. Good luck!

We have 3 tries to pass with a 90% (used to be 95%) or better each semester. First semester we're given the chapters to study throughout the semester on our own, and we take the test right before finals. Every semester after that, we take it before clinical starts, if we don't pass, we're done for the semester. I think we would then have the opportunity to try again with the next class, but I'm not positive on that. I'm with others, dosage calc is serious business, so I understand the policies. Actually, I think ours is pretty lenient. The only room for improvement that I can think of would be to offer review sessions for those who struggle. Unfortunately, with instructors spread so thin as it is, that may just not be feasible.

My first M/S exam is tomorrow, and I should be studying that right now. But hey, I have to take a break, right?!

Wow. Since when is doing well irritating? It drives me nuts that when everyone is asking how others did the students who did well are said to be boasting, but the ones who made B's or C's are simply sharing. Way to go, OP! That's awesome and you should be proud!

It's five semesters total. While it's definitely a full-time work load, you are not technically a full-time student. I'm in second semester right now and we're only taking five hours. Last semester was six. Next, I believe is six or nine depending on whether you've taken pharm. I'm not sure of the last two off of the top of my head. Hope that helps and good luck! ETA: Just realized you didn't specify which campus. I'm at Cyfair, where they like to be different, so the other campuses may be different from what I wrote above. I think the other campuses are four semesters total with summers off, but are still two years in length overall.

I've never liked studying in a group, until now. I'm lucky to have found several other students in my class that have the same mentality towards school that I do. We all read and prepare on our own ahead of time, then get together and answer/discuss practice questions. The advantage is that we all bring different perspectives to the table, and at least one of us usually gets the correct answer and can explain our own rationale behind it, in addition to the book's rationale. Also, we've all gotten different supplementary books, so that we have that many more questions to run through without breaking the bank too much. Today was our first group study for med-surg, and we decided to try out some case studies as well. I sometimes find case studies tedious to do on my own with so many other items on the to do list, so it was very helpful in getting the ideas and thought processes flowing. I think the key is to find other like-minded people with similar goals for the group. If you're looking to review and discuss but those you're meeting with are still working on getting through it the first time, you'll probably feel as though you drew the short straw. I've been there and ended up "teaching" the whole time, and while there are benefits to that, it wasn't what I wanted to get from the group, so I ended up feeling like it was a waste of my precious study time. I also recommend keeping it small. One of our first meetings last semester, we had 8 or 10 people show up and got almost nothing done. It was too many people with different priorities and agendas, and personality issues came about. The upside to that first meeting though was that the group we have now came from that night.

I highly recommend that book! I credit that book with much of my success in my first semester, and I know that many of my classmates also really liked it. I read some of the test taking tips, but for the most part just used the practice questions. Reading the rationales was particularly helpful, because they explained not only why the right answer was right but also why the others were wrong. I also found that we had some similar questions pop up on our exams. If you're really interested in test taking tips, and a few more practice questions, check out Test Success as well. I wasn't very interested in test taking tips, but our library has it, so I did check it out and use it some (I'll take all the help I can get, thanks ). It's definitely got some good tips in it, and would be especially good for anyone who struggles with tests and the anxiety that goes along with them.

Thanks for the info! With practicums and the lab not being open much, I completely forgot that I had posted again, so I'm glad I checked back. I was kind of thinking it would be along those lines, but it always helps to hear it from those who've 'been there, done that'. Thanks again, and good luck in specialties!

Apparently they heard enough from your class that they decided to give us the assignments at orientation. So we owe you guys a HUGE thank you for speaking up! As far as the tests go, they're NCLEX style. However, according to the blueprints, they're 50% knowledge & comprehension and 50% application & analysis. We were told to expect that to change...eventually they'll be nearly all application & analysis. So second semester is kind of shocking, huh? I've got the list of study guides that someone gave out at the SNA meeting and I've already got 3 of the 4 on my Amazon wishlist. Are there any that you'd recommend? Or any tips for studying it? Any tips for getting ready for clinicals or any supplies you've found helpful? I thought my questions might taper off once we actually started, but that's just not the case. I may have more now than I did then.

Precisely why I hated the one online class I've taken so far. I have a need to fully understand things, a natural curiosity, I suppose. My micro instructor went so far as to say that I'm too hard on myself and don't need to strive for perfection when I would ask for clarification on certain test questions. I told her that it's not necessarily a need to be perfect, just that I'm trying to comprehend the material. If I'm misunderstanding something, I like to get clarification before moving on.

Yes, we are in agreement. I'm sorry, I misunderstood what you were saying. I thought that you were saying that we would never be given unsafe orders by doctors. Please forgive my confusion. As far as it being the best choice, I also agree, not our call. However, I will always be interested in the reasoning, to be a better nurse for my patients and for my own curiosity. I pray that I get to work with at least some doctors that will be willing to take a moment to teach.

My pharmacology instructor specifically told us that we are the last check before the med is given to the patient, and doctors do, in fact, occasionally make mistakes when writing prescriptions, and those mistakes occasionally make it past the pharmacy. If we give an incorrect med or dosage, just because the doctor ordered it and the pharmacy dispensed it, then it is our license on the line, not the doctor's. This alone will probably have me asking questions, respectfully of course. However, at the same time, I, like the OP, have an inquiring mind. I like to know the rationale for everything I am doing, but even if I did not, if the patient asks about a specific med, won't they likely be asking us when it's being administered? I'd like to be able to explain to my patient the doctor's reasoning, because correct me if I'm wrong, is that not another facet of a nurse's job? There is always a drug guide, but who do I go to if the information can not be found there? I'm a new nursing student, so maybe I'm misunderstanding something, but my instructor was very clear that we are not to administer drugs unless we know why they are being given. Maybe you can shed some light on your differing view point for this new student? OP, as you can see, I feel that there are times to challenge a question, an order, etc. Always respectfully, and always with references to back up my point of view. Because I'm not arguing simply for the sake of arguing, I'm simply seeking a better understanding, I usually say something along the lines of, "Can you please clarify this choice/answer, because in my studying this is what I found and how I understood it?" I hate the idea of alienating any of my instructors or the doctors that I'll be working with, but at the same time, I won't feel comfortable if I don't have a good reasoning behind what I'm doing.

I second allrecipes & recipezaar. I also really like kraftfoods.com, too...lots of very easy one pot/pan meals.

I'm starting in the fall, too, and I'm doing the same thing. Anything to make my life easier when it gets crazy! A few of the things that I'm doing-- -Rearrange our guest room into a study room for me. I'm hoping to get a study group going and if we ever meet at my house, I'd like to have a place for us to shut everything out. -Stock pile school supplies. I've bought a ton of pens, highlighters, printer paper (10 reams for $23 and change from Amazon BTW), back up printer ink, etc. -Get started on reading. At orientation they actually gave us a bunch of reading to have done by the beginning of class, as well as an additional book that as far as I can tell breaks down the critical thinking process. -Collect easy recipes. Mostly crock pot and soups--add a salad/veggie and some bread, and voila! dinner is served! -Spend time with my family. I've been very clear with my husband what NS is going to be like, so if the dishes or laundry get ignored for another day so I can spend time with them, so be it. I don't know about you guys, but as excited as I am about finally getting to the good stuff, I'm nervous as all get out. I figure that if I can make things remotely easier on myself and my family, I'm going to. Good luck you guys!

Yep, that's how mine does it too. I understand your frustration, and have asked the FA people at my CC that very same question numerous times. I've always had to use funds better left untouched (i.e. savings, credit card) and replenish them when my loan money comes through. I wish that I had better news for you, but at least you're not alone.

I've only actually donated once. I usually either miss the donor wagon or my iron is too low. Like others, I'm O+, so I wish I could more often. ETA- Forgot to add, choosing nursing as my career had no bearing on my choice to donate.

You've been confirmed. I did it right after I saw your post, but apparently FB doesn't send you a notification that you have. As a matter of fact, aside from getting requests to join, I haven't gotten a single notification about the group, like when someone posts. I've looked around to try to change the settings but I haven't seen anything. If anyone knows how to do that, will you let me know? Now that I think about it, I wonder if that's why we haven't gotten much activity on there. I'll send out a message to everyone and see if that helps. It is nice knowing that you're not alone, huh? My MIL is already an RN, and I know a few who are still taking pre-reqs, but other than those on this board, no one who is right where I'm at. I had planned to apply for scholarships to avoid having to work, but both of my profs that were writing my references missed the deadline. I can still apply for the spring, but it looks like I'll have to work through at least the first semester. I only work 15-20 hours a week, so it's not too bad. Are you planning to work?

pcrn- That's great news! And I'm sure a relief for you. When I was a Realtor, TREC (the BON's equivalent in real estate) was the same way. Only one person to process license applications and renewals, and then that same person to process the background checks when they added that. From what I hear though, they were pretty efficient when a complaint was filed against an agent. I totally agree with you about pharm! I like being able to take what I learned in A&P and apply it to this class. I'm also surprised at how much I remember, though I'm really glad that I still have my A&P book. If it makes you feel better, we're not really getting any discussion in our class either, probably since we're covering so much material in such a short time. Don't get me wrong, we can ask questions if we have them, but we're really flying through the material.

Hi Escochea! I think as long as you got all of your paperwork in that was listed on the acceptance letter, there's nothing else to do before orientation. It sounds like most of us will have the blue card, shot records, and anything else that we've already completed with us at orientation, though there's no telling whether they'll take it then or not. From what I've been able to gather from the past classes with threads on here, we choose am or pm at orientation (some say to get there early if you want am). Then they register us for the classes in whichever block we get, and stay with it for the rest of the program. I wanted to get an idea of what the times and days were, so I looked at the catalog and compared the first semester of nursing classes to what's posted for the fall schedule already. I posted what I was able to come up with on the first page of this thread. Again, no telling if it's right or not, but at least it gives us an idea of what we might be looking at (and gave me something to do with all of the nervous energy!). Some of us just decided to get pharm out of the way for several different reasons, though I'm starting to wonder if it would have even mattered at this point, since we're all learning something different. The dosage calc book is required for one of our first classes, so I'm guessing we're going to be learning some of it first semester. Anyone interested in meeting up? I'll post something on FB, and see if we can find a day and time that works for everyone. My husband might go nuts if he has to hear anymore about NS.

Yeah, all of the early pp's were based on the old book, which is why I used it for the test instead of the new one. I figured that out real quick when I was trying to study from the new one and had a hard time finding everything. Now that we're getting to the new pp's, hopefully it'll be easier to use the new book. I'm still going to have to hunt down all of the info in the new one, because I have to give the old book back to my friend.

pcrn- I don't blame you for dropping. Now that I see such a disparity in how the course is set up at each school, I can understand why Cyfair wasn't accepting pharm from other schools. If I didn't hate online courses as much as I do, I wouldn't have even bothered to take it this summer. I just knew that I wanted to be in a classroom setting for this class. So, since you talked to Kathy, does that mean you've decided to stick with us? And the blue card...I got mine in maybe a month ago. I just happened to be the one going through the mail that day and nearly blew right past it. It isn't a bright primary blue like I was expecting, it's actually very pale, as in not even sky or baby blue. Not sure if maybe you're looking for what I was looking for but thought I'd throw it out there just in case. Thangbom- Did you really read all of the chapters?! Kudos to you!!! I couldn't have read every word. I read most of it, but I did a lot of scanning, too, as well as the tabbing that she recommended. Most of the stuff that I had to look up was found in the old book, in a section that is setup by the nursing process and all of the implications for each step. When I have to give that book back to my friend, I'll definitely be searching that info out in the new one...it was really helpful for the test, and I imagine it'll be good to have for the future.

That's about the same amount of material that we're covering, too. The required book is the same as well, however she's in the middle of switching books, so I've been using the old one (borrowed from a friend to study with) and will use the new one now that we're getting to her new pp lectures. You're right it's a ton of info, but I just keep telling myself that it's preparing me for the fall. I just checked the bookstore, and oddly enough, Cyfair doesn't have the Dosage Calculations book listed for pharm either, but it is listed for Fundamentals. Guess we'll be learning dosage calc in Fundamentals, too? They also have a completely different pharm text. I don't know why but I figured they would all be using the same books.

Definitely sounds like our classes are different...so odd. Aside from the actual quizzes, all of our dosage calc stuff is done on our own outside of class. Do you guys have the Dosage Calculations book? If so, I can post and/or e-mail what she's having us do, if it would help. Really though, it's just reading each chapter--all of some, parts of a few--and doing the practice questions at the end.

Hi Candy! I was wondering if you were still around. The FB group is the one that I posted a link for on the first page. The link still works, but you have to be logged in for it to go to the group, otherwise it just goes to the log in page. If that doesn't work, try searching for LSC Cyfair Nursing Class of 2012. It's private, but not invite only, so it should show up. I know pcrn is taking pharm online as well. Thangbom and I are both in a hybrid at Tomball. Our class hasn't done a ton as far as dosage calc--just abbreviations, conversions, and reading labels & drug orders. Oh, and using the correct tool for the dosage and route. Our only quiz so far was on abbreviations and conversions. I don't know about y'all, but I'm not getting much of a break. Between pharm and work, I'm staying pretty busy. I'm also trying to round up all my loose ends before orientation (last shot, TB test, CPR, etc.), so all I have to do the second half of summer is gather all my books and supplies and such. Oh, and keep working and saving (er, bleeding) money. Anyone else thought about a.m. vs. p.m. classes? Anyone else plan to try to get a.m.? I have a conflict with both (if the schedule that I came up with is right anyway), but I think a.m. will still be easier for me to work around. Less than a month now until we can finally get some info!

So you're the joker? Thank goodness for you! That class is so quiet and needs the lightening up! I'm sitting right across from you...dark brown ponytail and black glasses. Are you feeling like it's way easier than it should be? Most of it seems to be common sense to me, but I guess we'll see how I feel after our first exam. Speaking of, I'm glad that she uses NCLEX style questions...lets us get a feel for them before the fall. Off to re-post the FB group link for ya. Edited to add: Are you logged in to FB when you click on the link? You can either log in before you click on it, or click on it and it'll take you to the log in page. Once you log in, it should go to the group. Hope that helps, and if not, send me your e-mail addy through PM and I'll send you an invite.